Karachiites to face higher electricity bills in next three months

• The K-Electric consumers will receive higher electricity bills in the next three months.
• Nepra has allowed the KE to charge additional per unit cost of electricity for the last six months on account of the monthly fuel cost adjustment (FCA).
• The positive FCA shall be applicable to all the consumer categories except lifeline consumers (consuming up to 50 units).

ISLAMABAD: The K-Electric consumers will face higher electricity bills in the next three months as the National Electric Power Regulatory Authority (Nepra) has allowed the Karachi's sole power distribution company to charge additional per unit cost of electricity for the last six months on account of the monthly fuel cost adjustment (FCA) to the power consumers, The News reported. 

According to a notification, the power regulator has allowed K-Electric to collect the six-month (January to June) fuel cost adjustment from the consumers in their August, September and October bills.

In the August bills, the FCAs for two months of January and June will be settled. Since in one month the consumers had to pay to K-Electric while in another month the company had to return to the consumers, so the K-Electric will charge Rs1.0998 per unit from the power consumers.

In September, the adjustment of February and April will be made and Rs1.5484 per unit will be collected from the consumers. In the October bills, the company will charge Rs0.9921 per unit additional from the consumers.

The regulatory authority has allowed the DISCOs to collect Rs1.2505 per unit from the consumers for January, for February Rs2.0983 per unit and for March, it asked to charge Rs1.9419 per unit, while regarding April’s FCA, K-Electric has been asked to return Rs0.5499 per unit, for May Rs0.9498 per unit and another refund of Rs0.1507 per unit for June to the consumers.

The positive FCA shall be applicable to all the consumer categories except lifeline consumers (consuming up to 50 units). Whereas, the positive FCA shall be applicable to all the consumer categories except lifeline consumers, domestic consumers consuming up to 300 units and agriculture consumers of the K-Electric.

It is pertinent to mention here that negative adjustment on account of monthly FCA is also applicable to domestic consumers having Time of Use (ToU) meters irrespective of their consumption level.